


The Hunt of Peter Quill

by Rekall



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Always There For You, Best Friends, Captive, Gen, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 19:12:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2784488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rekall/pseuds/Rekall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Peter goes missing it's up to Gamora to save him. She needs to be quick though because Peter's time is running out. He's being hunted by the Badoon for sport and they have no plans on keeping him alive for very long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hunt of Peter Quill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ladymercury_10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladymercury_10/gifts).



Peter woke to a massive headache. At first he assumed it was because of what he had drank the night before - strange alien drinks while tasty could lead to odd and awkward situations - but then when Peter went to move his arms he found they were tied behind his back. It wasn't just that though. His legs were tied too and he had been stripped down to his underwear. 

"Not again," Peter groaned. 

It was actually not an uncommon occurrence. Between bounty hunters and sexy alien ladies who were into all kind of things, Peter found himself in that situation at least once a month. The problem was figuring out what situation he was currently in. The good kind or the bad?

Straining his neck, Peter took in his surroundings. He was on the floor of a small room. All the walls were bare and grey. Other than that there was nothing else to see.

It was definitely the bad option. 

Mentally Peter went over in his head who it was. He however quickly lost count of the potential people who had a bounty on his head. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't like he went out his way to piss people off. It was simply one of his many skills. 

In the long run it didn't matter. He had plenty of experience getting out of such situations. 

Peter struggled against his bonds. He knew what he was doing. A pull the right way, a tug another way and he would be free. 

But the ropes held firm. 

Peter frowned. A pull one way, a tug another. 

The ropes still did not budge. 

"Oh, come on!" he complained. Did whoever capture him take lessons from Gamora? She had been the best at trying him up. She had an unfair advantage though. She knew him probably better than anyone. Plus it was Gamora; she could do anything.

A brief fear went through Peter. Maybe it was Gamora? She had been angry with him recently but he thought they had moved beyond that. He thought things were cool between them again. But what if he had been wrong?

Peter shook his head. He believed in Gamora. This wasn't her. This was something else. 

Jerking his body, Peter tried slipping his arms under his legs so at least they wouldn't be behind him anymore. All he accomplished however was whacking his head on the nearby wall. 

With his head throbbing Peter wondered how he was going to get out of the situation.

* * *

The ship was practically empty. Rocket and Groot were off doing their own thing at the moment and Gamora really didn't want to know what they were up too. Sometimes when Rocket had a scheme going on it was best to stay out of his way. 

She knew Drax was in his room, sharpening his weapons. It was tempting to join him as it was one task that Gamora also found rewarding but there was a more pressing thought on her mind; the location of Peter Quill. 

She was the first to admit things had been rough between them for awhile. Largely it was due to Peter keeping things from her. That better not be happening again. There better be no more secrets and trips to visit Thanos. They were beyond that. At least that's what she thought.

It still didn't explain though why he had run off without telling her.

"Damnit, Quill," she muttered as she headed to her room to gather her things. He had promised her; no more secrets. Yet again he had lied to her. This time she wasn't going to wait around. If Peter was going to run off without telling anyone, so would she.

* * *

She thought about contacting Angela. It had been a while since the two of them had gone on an adventure together. Angela was one of the few people to understand her. But in the end Gamora decided she just wanted to be alone. 

Knowhere was where she ended up going. For so long it had been their home base as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Things had been different then. They had been more formal with matching uniforms, veterans of wars that almost destroyed the entire galaxy. They had been larger then too, Mantis, Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell, but over time their numbers dwindled. 

Things had been different then.

Now though staying at Knowhere was impossible. They were outlaws now and while Cosmo wouldn't necessarily turn them in there were others on Knowhere who were interested in causing them harm. Short visits were fine but it was a place where none of them could linger.

Gamora wasn't there to reminisce though. She wasn't a person who bothered too much with the past. What she was there for was information. Not about Peter. Gamora didn't care where he had ran off too. She was seeking information about more unsavoury people. She wanted someone to hit and beat up. Something to take her mind off of her so-called best friend.

Maybe she should contact Angela after all. Together there was little in the universe that could stop them. It would be fun.

Gamora was debating about her options when a group of Skrulls walked by. Gamora paid them no attention. She had no desire to bother with Skrulls unless they started things. When that happened they would not be ending it. She almost wished they would start something. It would improve her mood if she could release her emotions instead of pretending that everything was fine.

She couldn't help but overhearing them though. They were gossiping about a recent capture the Badoon had acquired. Apparently the Badoon were restarting their fighting pit. Gamora and Angela had taken care of it months ago but the Badoon weren't for staying down for long. 

It was tempting to go hunt down the Badoon and make them remember why they had been shut down in the first place but Gamora was really looking for something new to take on. She had defeated the Badoon once already. She needed a new challenge.

But then Gamora overheard news that caused her to pause. Apparently their first victim was some fool from Earth. The Skrulls were looking forward to it due to their bad blood between themselves and humans.

Gamora swore as she realized who the Badoon had captured. It was easy enough to store out. There weren't that many humans in space. There were even less idiot humans in space. And Gamora only knew one who the Badoon had reasons to go after.

At least she now knew that Peter hadn't just ran off without telling her. She was still going to kick his ass when she found him though. It would be a reminder not to get caught in stupid traps anymore.

* * *

Peter groaned as he was kicked awaked. He stared up at the kicker; a Badoon. Great, that was just what he needed. Filthy scum. He should have known they would be involved in whatever happened to him. 

Peter had little time to react before he was kicked again. 

"I'm getting up," he complained as he staggered to his feet. Peter glared at the Badoon. He was an ugly brute but all Badoon were.

As he stood before the Badoon it was only then that Peter realized his legs were no longer tied. If he had noticed that sooner he might have tried something. Then again maybe not. He was still only clad in his underwear and his hands were still firmly tied. If he only had his boots; things would be a lot easier. Or his elemental gun. Peter really wished he had it right then. That way he could shoot the Badoon in his ugly face.

The Badoon motioned with his rifle and Peter had little choice but to follow the demand. Again thoughts of escape ran through Peter's mind. With an elbow to the Badoon's face he could swipe the rifle during the distraction. From there all it would take is to find his things and get out of there. 

The problem with that plan was the rifle would be difficult to use with his hands still tied. He didn't see a knife on the Badoon which he could use to cut his hands free. There was also the problem of what would happen if he mistimed the elbow. The Badoon would not be pleased with him and Peter doubted he could pass it off as a joke gone bad.

In the end, Peter decided to see where they planned on doing with him.

The Badoon took him to another room; one slightly larger than the last but still pretty bare except for a bench that was shoved up against a wall. On a bench was a pair of clothes. It was not Peter's normal clothes but rather a loose red jumpsuit. Peter didn't particularly mind. At least it was clothes which was better than the alternative.

No shoes were given so Peter walked barefooted when he was motioned to leave the room and once again to keep moving.

"This would be easier if you'd just tell me where we're going."

The Badoon however remained silent. Peter rolled his eyes as they moved down the stark hallway. It would be so much easier if he had a captor who was willing to be goaded into making mistakes. That way Peter could find a way to escape.

Finally they came to a massive set of doors. Peter had a bad feeling he knew what was on the other side. He had heard what the Badoon had put Gamora through when his father had captured them and split them up by sending them to their enemies. Gamora had survived because she was Gamora. Peter knew he wouldn't be able to last as long as her. He wasn't even sure he would last long enough to be rescued. He really hoped that his absence had been noticed. 

As the doors slid open Peter was surprised to find that it was not a type of gladiatorial arena which he had expected. Instead a forest stood in front of him. Massive trees reached towards the sky and went on for as far as he could see. No arena could be seen.

"What's going on?" he asked, turning back to look at the Badoon who accompanied him. What Peter found was a sick smile upon the Badoon's face. "On second thought, don't answer that."

With a shove, Peter found himself standing just inside the edge of the forest. He looked around and on the wall of the building he had just exited was a large screen with a Badoon glaring down at him.

"Human, you get a ten minute head start."

"And then what?" Peter asked, unsure if he wanted to know or not.

The Badoon on the screen smiled. It was an evil smile and chills went down Peter's spin. "And then the hunt begins."

Peter didn't like the sound of that one bit.

* * *

It was harder tracking Peter down than Gamora had ever figured. She knew the Badoon. Hunting them was a passion of hers. She took it personally the way they had treated her. 

The fastest way to information was Gamora's favourite; beating things up. For that she did contact Angela. It wasn't that Gamora wasn't confident to handle things on her own; she knew she could but things would be quicker if the two of them worked together. Fortunately Angela more than welcomed the opportunity to do some carnage. 

They started with a known Badoon outpost. They attacked quickly taking the first guards by surprise. Together they cut and slashed their way through the Badoon base.

"It's been a while since we had so much together," Angela said with a smile upon her face as she beheaded a Badoon who charged at her.

Normally Gamora would have shared Angela's joy. Her thoughts however remained on Peter. They needed to find him. Peter wouldn't die so easily but he wasn't invulnerable. He had already came back from death once. Gamora didn't want to go through that empty feeling again of not having him around.

Between the two of them they cleared the base in ten minutes. All that remained was the commander of the place. Angela held a blade to his neck from behind while Gamora faced him and asked her questions.

"Where is Peter Quill?" Her voice was hard and serious. She was not interested in playing games.

"I don't know."

Gamora nodded to Angela who lightly began slicing her blade across his green skin. All it took was a little nick before he began singing a different tune and begging for mercy. He spilled it all. Everything they had for Peter and where he could be found. 

As he talked Gamora's fears only increased. When he was finished Gamora turned away and briskly began walking back through the base while Angela finished him off. She considered calling the others but already so much time was wasted.

"Hang on, Peter," she muttered softly to herself while Angela caught up.

* * *

Twigs cut into the bottom of Peter's feet as he ran. He knew he was creating a nice trail of blood for the Badoon to follow but there was no helping it. The Badoon knew what they were doing when they didn't give him shoes. 

The good part - if there could be a good part - was he couldn't hear the Badoon tracking him just yet. Peter knew however that it wouldn't last for long. He mentally kept track of the minutes since they had let him go. Ten minutes had long since expired. Somewhere behind him the Badoon were hunting him.

Crouching behind some brush, Peter thought over his options. It wasn't pretty. There was no telling how far the forest went. Assuming there even was an end to it. Peter wasn't exactly sure what planet he was on. The entire place could be one giant forest.

Pulling at some large leaves, Peter wondered if he could make some makeshift shoes out of them. At least that way it would be easier to move about without leaving a trail of blood for his captors. The problem was there was nothing to tie them to his feet. In the end Peter threw them to the ground before moving on in disgust. 

Pushing large ferns out of his face, Peter continued his trek through the brush. His movements were slower than they had been earlier but that was due to him trying not to make a lot of noise. If the Badoon were getting close he wanted to hear them before they found him. At least then he would have a chance to hide.

At one point Peter thought he had heard a branch snap and instantly he froze. A gentle breeze moved all around him but the only sound he heard was the singing of some birds. After a few minutes he began moving on again. 

It was not the sound of Badoon that next caught his attention but rather the sound of rushing water. Peter quicken his pace. Water meant he could soothe his injured feet and also get something to drink. Peter wasn't sure when he last ate or drank. The Badoon certainly hadn't given him any. He knew now it was part of their plan all along to make his journey through the forest as uncomfortable as possible.

Shoving his way through more brush, Peter soon found the source for the water he was hearing. Water hit his face from the mist that was being created and the sound was tremendously loud. It was no normal water. It was a waterfall. 

Rapids rushed over the edge of the waterfall. Climbing across some rocks which ran along the shore, Peter piered over the edge. The mist was thick, making the bottom impossible to see. It would be suicide to go that way. There was no telling what was down there. He also couldn't simply cross the river. The moving water was far too fast. It would swept him away before he could even think. He needed to find an easier path down to the river below. 

Before Peter could think of a plan, there was a crashing noise behind him.

_Please be a very large and angry animal_ , Peter thought to himself as he turned to face his fate. There was no point in trying to hide. The only brush around was where the noise was coming from.

Peter's luck had run out. A small group of angry Badoon emerged from the bushes. They were all brandishing various forms of weapons. Peter saw rifles, swords and axes among their weapon choices. There was nothing he could do against them.

"I don't suppose you are all willing to surrender?" Peter asked. Even when faced with certain death he couldn't help but make a joke.

They didn't reply. Instead there was only grunting and hollering as they advanced upon Peter. There was nothing Peter could do but step backwards towards the rapids. He knew they weren't interested in taking him alive. He was out of options.

_Fuck it_ , Peter decided. He grinned and waved to them before jumping from the rocks and into the water. He would rather take his chances with the waterfall. At least then he would only maybe die.

Peter had little time to think before the rushing water swept him over the edge of the waterfall. There was a mass of water everywhere as he fell. The only thing Peter could do was close his eyes and hold his breath. Everytime he thought he was safe he got another faceful of water.

After what seemed liked an eternity Peter hit the water of the river below him. Luckily there were no rocks that he landed on. The current swept him forward away from the falling water as Peter shruggled to swim to the surface. 

His head finally poked free and he gasped for breath. Immediately he mentally wrote going over a waterfall on top of the list of things he never wanted to do again. It was not a fun experience at all.

Exhausted, Peter began swimming towards shore. His arms felt like dead weights. It took all his efforts to raise them one at a time to swim. Each time they plopped back down in the water he didn't know if he would be able to raise them again. Somehow though he managed to make it to shore and haul himself back up onto dry land.

Rolling on his back, Peter looked back up at the Badoon. They weren't trying to chase him anymore. Instead they were clustered around at the edge of the waterfall watching him. Peter swore there arms were raised in a triumphant manner but that didn't make any sense.

He then heard the stomping from behind him. 

Rolling to his stomach, Peter hung his head as the second group of Badoon approached. He was too tired to get up. This time he was really done for.

His mind flashed to his friends. They would mourn him. They had before when they had thought he had died. There would be no coming back this time though. He hoped they continued on as Guardians of the Galaxy. The Guardians were needed, even if people like his father didn't think so. 

Mainly he thought of Gamora. She was his best friend and she had already lost so much. He wanted her to be happy. She deserved it. 

"Stupid human," the lead Badoon said. He was smirking down at Peter. "So predictable. It was amusing watching you trying to escape and thinking you had."

That knowledge hurt. They had led him into a trap and Peter had fell for it. There was never any change to escape. He had known that from the beginning but had convinced himself otherwise. 

Peter raised his head, his eyes forming a glare. If it was his time to end he would not do it while on the ground.

He stood on shaky legs. It was very tempting to turn and jump back into the water but they would likely shoot him before he got very far. That plan had only worked last time due to the waterfall sweeping him away too fast.

Peter thought of something to say. He always pictured himself going out in a blaze of glory. If that couldn't be the case he wanted to at least think of something witty and sarcastic to say as his last words. 

Words did form into his mind but he had no time to get them out. A swift movement behind the Badoon caught his attention.

Peter dropped to his knees as the attack began and rolled out of the way. The head of the Badoon who had been talking fell next to him. Peter grimace at the sight but not because he pitied the Badoon. It was because the head had almost fallen on him and he really didn't want to wash Badoon blood and guts out of his hair.

Adrenaline rushed through Peter as he got back to his feet. The Badoon were all distracted, desperately trying to fend of their attacker. They were having no luck though. They fell one by one under the blade of a sword and a swirl of green skin. The Badoon were no match for her. She was after all the most dangerous woman in the galaxy.

"Took you long enough," Peter said with a grin as the last one fell. 

Gamora came to a stop before Peter. Her blade covered in Badoon blood. Peter instantly knew he was in trouble when she saw her face. She was angry with him. 

"You're supposed to stay out of trouble," she accused. 

"I was, I swear, I was," Peter replied. "But I was slightly drunk and there this really hot girl . . ."

Gamora rolled her eyes and held up a hand to stop him. "I don't want to hear it."

That wasn't what Peter expected. He thought for sure he was in for a scolding. "You're not mad?" Sometimes it was hard to tell with Gamora. "You believe It really wasn't my fault this time?"

"I'm not mad," she said and Peter believed her. She did however jab a finger at him. "You however need to be more careful. You would be dead right now if I hadn't found you."

She cared. It was a comforting thought to Peter. After the recent things that they had gone through Peter hadn't been sure anymore. 

"I'l be fine," he said. "Because you'll always be there to help me."

Gamora said nothing. It was good. It meant there was progress between them. Things had been broken for a while even if Peter didn't want to admit it. It started when Gamora had originally asked questions about what happened to Richard Rider, when she found out that Peter had visited her father in secret. Things kept pushing and pulling until she finally confronted him with the truth of what happened in the Cancerverse, which had been a disaster. Now though, Peter felt that things could finally get back to normal.

"You know I love you, right?" It was not a romantic love but rather a familial one. Gamora was his best friend. He didn't want to face the dangers of the galaxy without her. 

Gamora sighed. "You're a fool." She left it at that. No other words were needed between them.

With everything finally over the adrenaline left Peter. He fell forward and Gamora caught him. "You look like shit," she said and Peter didn't argue. He felt like shit too. All he wanted to do was get out of there. 

But there was still more to be done.

"There's a Badoon base," he said. "It can't be far from here."

"Angela's already taking care of it," Gamora replied. Reaching behind her, Gamora produced his elemental gun and handed it to him. "I asked if she wanted help but she was rather gleeful at the prospect of taking the rest of the place on by herself."

Gamora really had taken care of everything. "Where would I be without you?"

"Dead."

Peter winced even though it was the truth. He didn't want to think about that at the moment. Instead he straightened up and gripped his elemental gun. "I feel like shooting some Badoon. Think Angela would mind if we spoil her fun?"

"She'll get over it."

That was good enough for Peter. "Then lets go kill some Badoon."

* * *

Gamora watched as Peter walked in front of her as they headed back to the Badoon base. Limping would be a more accurate statement. It made her wanted to kill the dead Badoon all over again. 

She had been relieved when she had found him. Peter could be an annoying pain at times but things wouldn't be the same without him. 

Gamora gripped her sword tightly. The Badoon would pay for what they did to Peter and she would enjoy every moment of it. The rage she felt when she learned what the Badoon had planned for him was enough to convince her that she needed Peter in her life. 

Ahead, the stark grey building was coming into sight. Seeing it Gamora quicken her pace to catch up to Peter. "We do this together." 

Peter flashed a grin at her. "Always."

Gamora believed him and that knowledge warmed her. Things would be fine between them. Even if Peter couldn't keep himself out of trouble, she would always be around to save him. 

After all someone had to do it.


End file.
